A West Midlands council says it has received an “enthusiastic” response from developers after it appealed for city centre regeneration proposals.
Wolverhampton Council invited regional and national companies to put forward outline plans for the revival of the city’s Westside and Southside areas. As part of its long-term action master plan for the sites the authority is hoping to form joint development partnerships with potential investors.
“Developers have backed our plans for major regeneration schemes in the Westside and Southside which is a big show of confidence for the city as we head into 2015,” commented the city’s economy leader, Peter Bilson.
He said the invitation process, which the council described as “soft market testing”, had been a “vital exercise” to gain the input and feedback from a range of developers.
“They know what will work and what the viable options are,” added the councillor, “and we will now take their suggestions on board as we move forward with our plans … Ensuring we get it absolutely right for the people of Wolverhampton and future investors.”
For the Westside, the response suggested that the increased development activity in the surrounding areas — the recently opened Sainsbury’s store, the development of the Wolverhampton Youth Zone and the residential conversion of the former Sunbeam factory — made the timing “perfect” for a major scheme.
The Southside regeneration, they said, could see a mix of retail, leisure and residential development to compliment the planned refurbishment of the Mander Centre.
As part of its city centre blueprint, the council wants to see an increase in mixed retail, office, leisure and living space across both the Westside and Southside.
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